a. Man

What is the American experience? That is the central question resting at the heart of The Republic, the debut album by a. Man. Using music as a vehicle to uncover, understand and express the truth, the singer/songwriter from Chicago takes us on a journey to find the heart of America. Along the way, we meet characters from all corners of our society-a homeless man, an immigrant, an oil-man turned politician, a Katrina victim, and an unemployed coal miner. As we travel through The Republic, we are confronted with pressing issues such as Indian relocation, slavery, religion, war, the death penalty, weapons production, and greed. The album is a quest to find the heart of America and, as often happens, it is not the destination but the journey itself that gives the greatest reward. With each song a. Man exposes, challenges and strips away the layers of hypocrisy, injustice and indifference that cloud the truth. As these layers fade, we find the understanding, honesty, and compassion that are the true rewards of our journey.

Most of The Republic features raw, stripped down and emotionally charged songs featuring just acoustic guitar and vocal. The use of electric guitars on songs such as “Underpass” and “Levee” not only adds another layer of depth to the individual tracks but keeps the album fresh by giving it a new dimension. The aggressive lyrical style reminds us of Bob Dylan while the vocal/guitar interplay is reminiscent of Mark Knopfler. a. Man’s vocals have at times been compared to Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits.

The three songs included here are “White America”, “Underpass” and “Let The Man Talk.” They are good representations of the perspectives explored on the album as well as the overall musical style. To find out more about a. Man and to listen to more tracks from The Republic, please visit www.myspace.com/musicofaman.